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There was a splitting pain in my head. I lifted my hand to it and it came away bloody. I groaned, turning over. Across from me, Bruce was writhing on the floor, groaning in pain. Shit. That must have been the other guy. Past Bruce, I saw that Nat was pinned beneath some debris.

"Doctor?" she called out to Bruce, who ignored her.

"Bruce, fight it, this is exactly what Loki wants," I tried, pulling myself a little closer to him as pain shot through my body.

I froze at Natasha's warning stare, and moved quickly away from him. I slowly pushed myself up, and began to circle around him toward Nat.

Further down the hall, I saw a few men approaching. I nodded my head toward them to alert Nat to their presence, and she frantically waved them off. I stooped when I reached Natasha and began trying to pull the debris off her. It was insanely heavy, and my whole body ached in protest.

"We're gonna be okay. Listen to me." Natasha groaned in pain as I pulled furiously at the debris. "We're gonna be okay. Right? I swear on my life I will get you out of this, you will walk away, and never—"

I jumped when Bruce's head snapped up. A look of pure rage was plastered across his face. "Your life?" He growled in a monstrous voice, and all the small hairs on my arms stood on end. I could see the green that was beginning to colour his face, as saliva dripped from his mouth. Everything inside me was screaming to run, to get out of there as fast as I could. But I had to free Nat.

"Get out of here, Al," Nat warned, as though she could read my mind. Bruce scampered off, the muscles beneath his shirt swelling grotesquely. "I can handle this, go!"

"Like hell I'm gonna leave you here, Nat," I shot back at her, as the both of us used all the strength we had to push the debris aside. The lights flickered and steam billowed from a tank. I spared a single look up. My heart leapt into my throat when my gaze fell on the Hulk. He released a monstrous bellow that shook the floor. I pulled with all my might at the debris pinning Nat down as I broke out in a cold sweat. I wanted to run.

Finally, finally, the debris gave way, sliding off of her leg. She cried out in pain but immediately lept to her feet, grabbing me by the arm and jarring me into a run. She shoved me ahead of her on the stairs and I pumped my legs as hard as I could, the sound of the Hulk's thudding, rapid footfalls matching the pace of my heart.

"Natasha!" I cried, as she just narrowly dove out of the Hulk's reach, hauling herself over a railing further ahead.

She grabbed my hand, leading me through the pipe system in the ceiling of the room below us, where the Hulk roared in frustration. Our feet pounded against the grates under us, and I almost choked when the Hulk tore one down, just inches behind me.

We dove through a vent and dropped down into the adjoining room. Nat slowed her pace, and lifted a finger to her lips, signaling me to keep quiet. I nodded, still holding on to her hand like a scared little kid.

With her free hand, she extracted her gun, and we moved slowly through the room. The only thing I could hear was the distant sound of the Hulk's booming footsteps. We turned a corner. A bellowing scream tore through the room, and I spotted the Hulk's face behind some tanks. I jumped, as Natasha sunk a bullet into a pipe overhead, obscuring the Hulk's line of sight with steam.

We raced in the opposite direction, and I noticed Nat fighting past a limp from the fall. I pulled her along furiously, through a narrow glass corridor. I could hear the sounds of destruction from behind as the Hulk raced after us. He was close. Too close.

All of a sudden, I was jarred from my feet, as the Hulk backhanded Nat into a wall. Connected at the hands, I went with her. I felt the air get knocked out of my lungs.

"Nat!" I shook her furiously, pulling her to sit up as the Hulk barreled into a wall. She just groaned in pain.

I pulled her behind me, pushing myself up to my feet. That familiar voice in my head said run. Run as fast as you can. But I stepped in front of Nat, as the Hulk lumbered slowly toward us, lifting his hand to crush us into dust.

I swiped at the blood trickling down from my forehead, and ignited flame in either hand, standing my ground.

But just as the Hulk's meaty fist came down to kill us, something moving faster than I could see connected with him with such force, that he was knocked through the wall and into the next room.

Thor, I realized.

I turned back, stooping.

"Are you okay?" I asked, grabbing hold of Natasha's hand and helping her to her feet.

"You—You stayed," she said in disbelief, "You stayed behind for me. Why?"

"Cause I'm not really in the habit of leaving friends to get smashed to death by big green monsters," I said, and she smiled, though her eyes were still wide and unblinking. I'd never seen someone look so afraid.

Suddenly, the sound of pure, deafening destruction reached my ears. I looked up, sighing. It appeared as though I had another friend I had to help to not get smashed to death.

"Will you be alright?" I asked Nat, as I made for the gaping hole the Hulk and Thor had left in the wall. Nat nodded, and I offered her a weak smile, before racing after the two, igniting two flames in my hands as I ran.

I saw that Thor had acquired his hammer. He'd just sent the Hulk flying into an airplane across the room. I probably wouldn't be much help to him, but I wasn't going to stand by and watch while he took on the Hulk by himself.

Thor looked at me, his expression pulling back in surprise.

"Look out!" I shouted, dropping to my knees as the Hulk launched a torn off airplane wing at us. Thor ducked just in time to miss it, before launching his hammer at the Hulk.

I stood, clearing the distance that separated us as Thor lunged at the Hulk, kicking him back. Before the Hulk could react, I threw my fire in an arc overhead, and it came down on him, singeing the green of his skin, eliciting a menacing roar.

Thor leapt up and placed him in a chokehold before he could attack me. Suddenly, the Hulk leapt up, smashing through the ceiling. I groaned, doing a 360 spin to locate a stairwell. Finally, I eyed one on the other side of the room, and I raced after it as the fight raged on above me.

I followed the sounds of the fighting into the correct room, and launched a sheet of flame at the Hulk's back, who was currently throwing Thor around like a rag doll. The Hulk bellowed, tossing Thor aside and turning toward me.

Before he could lunge, the sound of a rapid fire gun drew his attention to the window. Thor tackled me to the ground and dove for cover just as the gunfire penetrated the window.

The Hulk's attention was immediately pulled toward the gunfire coming from a small jet outside the window. Thor took advantage of his distraction and pulled me out the door into the hall, as the Hulk jumped out the window and attacked the plane.

"Oh my god." My eyes widened as I ran back to the window to watch what was going on. The jet was on fire and falling fast, its pilot already having bailed out. The Hulk was tearing it to shreds. I looked to Thor, whose arm was wrapped protectively around me, "Will he survive that?"

"Banner will be fine," Thor said, pulling me back into the hallway, "I'm more concerned about Loki."

Loki. In the chaos, I hadn't even thought about him. He was going to escape. Thor and I made eye contact briefly, before racing down the hall toward the detention centre.

As we ran, the air craft lunged dangerously to one side, as a voice over the intercom said, "Engine one is now in shutdown. We are in uncontrolled descent."

We pushed on. I could hardly keep up with Thor and my lungs were burning. But suddenly, ahead of me, he skidded to a stop, and I collided with his back. I peered around him. In front of us, were a group of about five soldiers, all armed.

Whoever was attacking us, they clearly had made it to the computers, the engine shut down was evidence of that. We didn't have much time left to get to Loki. I looked at Thor. Then back at the men in front of us, advancing menacingly.

"Go," I said to him, bringing fire to both my hands, "Go to Loki. I've got this."

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